Much has been written about academic department chairs who come into their administrative positions with no formal training and essentially must learn on the job. This oversight is particularly critical at this time, when the future shaping of higher education will depend on the leadership of academic departments to adapt and respond to change of many types. Help with chair preparation is a well-recognized need and is vigorously addressed by conferences, workshops (from nationally sponsored to institutionally generated), webinars, books, and periodicals, like this one, that can provide assistance, guidance and advice on a number of vexing challenges that chairs routinely face.
Reciprocity over Hierarchy: Designing and Implementing a Student-Led Reverse Mentoring Program
Many academic leaders, including administrators and faculty members, participate in traditional mentoring programs that prioritize hierarchy. But these programs typically don’t foster engagement and connection between students and faculty or
Marquita Lyons-Smith and Keva Suitte
October 19, 2026
